Rape victim buried in Rayagada

LELIN KUMAR MALLICK

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 16: The last rites of a 16-year-old gang-rape victim of Rayagada were performed this evening. The victimís body reached Rayagada town by an ambulance in the afternoon after the post-mortem at King George Hospital, in Vishakhapatnam, this morning.

The girl, who had sustained severe burn injuries after an immolation bid on January 3, had breathed her last at the trauma care centre of the King George Hospital in Vishakhapatnam yesterday afternoon.

As soon as the body reached Rayagada, hundreds of people, including members of various political parties, gathered there to pay their tribute to the rape victim. Later, her body was taken to the nearby Siriguda graveyard for last rites. The district and police officials were also present on the cremation ground.

On Tuesday night, a police team led by sub-divisional police officer of Rayagada V.N. Rao went to Vishakhapatnam to bring the victimís body.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had announced an ex-gratia assistance of Rs 10 lakh for the victimís family. Sources said the assistance would be given to the victimís younger sister. The victim and her sister lost their parents and had been staying with their grandmother.

On the night of January 2, the victim was allegedly gang-raped by four youths on her way back to home from a shop where she used to work. Unable to bear the trauma, the girl attempted suicide by pouring kerosene on her body and setting herself ablaze the next day. She was rescued by family members and was rushed to a local hospital.